For a beginner triathlon, this was a great sprint triathlon in which to debut (for all you grammarians who hate ending sentences with prepositions!). The BRATS Triathlon (BRistow Area Tri and Swim) distances aren't exactly the same as for a traditional sprint (this one is 300 meter swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 5K run), and the swim portion is in a pool. As a beginner, I wasn't sure I was up to an open water swim of 750 meter, so this was perfect for me. The pool has 6 lanes, and each length was 25 meters, so a lap in each lane was 50 meters, and through the "snake system", you end up swimming all 6 lanes for a total of 300 meters. Each swimmer was separated by 10 seconds to try to avoid bottle-necking, but there were a few traffic jams (unavoidable). After that, the bike portion was next, and though the distance was fairly short, the area is hilly, so those climbs were tiring. The course was also not one big loop, but rather, there were 3 areas where we made u-turns. I was so glad to have a road bike and to be cleated in, because I saw how rough it was for people with heavier bikes and traditional pedals. Efficiency really is key to conserve energy on these things. By the time I got to the run, I was feeling more tired than I'd expected to, and the beginning part of the run was tough because my legs were still trying to do the spinning motion of the bike. Eventually, it came together, and I just cruised through the mostly flat course. This race is pretty tiny: only 153 adult participants, but I liked it that way. The big races (e.g., Nation's Triathlon) can be really intimidating for newbies like me. Of course, there were some hardcore racers there, but overall, the atmosphere was really laid back and relaxed, and everyone (participants, volunteers, and encouragers) was really friendly. It's also a relatively cheap race: depending on when you register, it can be as cheap as $60 up to $75. Based on price, I wasn't expecting much in terms of swag, but the finisher's medal was nicer than I thought it would be, and the refreshments at the end were great. I LOVE getting huge bottles of Gatorade and carbs/fruit at the end of races. The best part was when each finisher also got a race towel that had been dunked in cold water so we could wipe ourselves down (not gonna lie, you're gross when you're done). The race also has a Youth segment; the kids run a shorter course after the adults are done, and it was cool to see all the family members get all excited about watching their kids do this race. I wish it were closer to Arlington, because driving an hour to get there by 6 am was a little rough on a Sunday morning, but that really can't be helped. All races have to start early =T Overall, the race was well-organized, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking about doing a triathlon. read more